Repentance: They Shall Have Joy in Their Works For a Season

These posts on Repentance are intended to be read in order beginning with Repentance: Introduction. At the bottom of each post is a link to the next post.

I had a friend who passed away recently who was a magician, and he loved to display his tricks and illusions to anyone at any time. It didn't matter where he was, whether it be in church, a restaurant, a retail store, among friends or among strangers. He would go into a fast food restaurant and while waiting for his order, go to nearby tables and perform his tricks, always to the delight of his audience. He carried tricks in his fanny pack and would switch them out every few days. There is something about a well executed magic trick that is intriguing and fascinating. He used to say that tricks worked because of deception, and the more skilled the magician, the better and more complicated the deception. "All magicians are liars," he would say. But we are fascinated by being deceived, and we ask to see the trick again and again.

I used to ask him how he did some of his tricks and on occasion he would show me. And you know what? I was always disappointed because the deception was so simple, and once I saw what he was doing, there was no more delight. I was still impressed with his skill in performing the trick, however. It took him many years of practice to become a good liar, and the better he was at lying, the better the trick.

You have probably seen some of the best magicians perform their magic, and there have been some elite magicians and/or illusionists who are considered the best of all time. Usually ranked number one is Harry Houdini, but even David Copperfield and Lance Burton make the top ten list. 

Now use your imagination for a minute and consider the most skilled magician, with his vast knowledge and unlimited skills, a former Son of the Morning, once considered among the very elect in Heaven. He is so skilled, in fact, that it was necessary, if he was going to be among us, to have some protections given to us by our Father, so that we might not be deceived, at least not throughout our entire test here. 

Now imagine also that this most skilled magician has everything in the world in his power to use to deceive us, such as communication systems, images, worldly powers, social media, history, our wants and desires, the word of God; priesthood leaders: whatever He can use to distort and deceive and work his magic. He can also use other humans and even his followers as his assistants, even the most impressive, or at least would impress us the most. To some, that would be those who are successful and powerful. To others, it would be those who are kind and appear very loving. And to others those in authority; those most educated. And to others it would be those who look and act like they do. I believe that were Satan to appear to an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he would appear clean shaven, with a nice suit, white shirt and a tie, because he knows that this is an image we hold dear.

Satan can cause us to identify our own favorite political, economic, historical and moral convictions with the gospel. This is falling into the trap of insisting that our way is God's way and, therefore, the only way. We can be lead to support a fascist, if he is against abortion. He delights in seeing us believe that capitalism is His way and that socialism is evil. He so transfigures the Lord's definition of good and evil that it is possible that we believe evil to be good and good to be evil.

He does some of his best work in the name of religion or political ideology.

We are inundated with images that foster success, good health, mental well being, happy families, and work ethic. These images are often accompanied by images of expensive cars, clothes, large houses, yachts, and financial security. He loves to sell effort, excellence, and success. 

Virtually every instance of the expression "imaginations of the heart" in scripture likens such imaginations with idolatry and following other gods. Moses cites, for example, a classic kind of self-deception, at the same time harkening back to the curses he has just enumerated in connection with the covenant: "And it came to pass, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace (salvation), though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst" (Deut 29:19). Moses thereby gives us to understand that self-deception, or "drunkenness," follows a personal lack of "thirst" for the knowledge of God. 

Paul concurs when he says that imaginations--or reasonings and rationalizations--are a kind of conceit or pretense that exalts itself "against the knowledge of God" (2 Cor 10:5). 

And Nephi identifies the large and spacious building he and his father saw in vision as the "vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men" (1 Nephi 12:18). Nephi notes that a great and terrible gulf--the justice of God--divides those in the building from the godly--those who are repenting. And Satan, Master Magician, helps us to imagine ourselves as the godly which is only our imagination. By engaging in self-deception, basing our behavior on false pretenses, we sell ourselves short of divine blessing. We endanger our lives as we face perilous times, denying the good effect of God's enduring love for us. What better way to illustrate this than by the Lord telling us that we will have joy in our works for a season?

Deceitfulness of riches is also another trick Satan uses because it is easier for us to put our faith in what is on hand rather than in God. This is also true of the deceitfulness of good human genetics which also turn us toward our own human goodness and away from God's goodness. We become captured by images, now in higher resolution than ever, sucking us into the vortex of Satan carefully leading us down to hell.

We become anti-enemy instead of pro-God. This is more evident today than ever in my life as we are inundated with anti-Trump or anti-Biden conflicts which have divided us even further. But to God this division is irrelevant except as an example of how much trust we put in men, and how little trust we put in God.

He can even use the truth to deceive us. He can deceive all but the very elect. More on this in another post.

Some of Satan's favorite and most effective tricks:

1. Deflects us from the doctrine of two ways (good vs. evil), and get us focused on values, or human good and evil instead;

2. Transfigures the word of God, waters it down, and leaves us with partial truths which are much easier to accept;

3. Carefully leads us down to hell, without us even knowing it;

4. Pacifies us, and lulls us away into carnal security, and delights when we say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well (see He Flattereth Away), for every step in the direction of increasing our personal holdings is a step away from Zion;

5. Uses flattery to bolster our self image, and causes us to think we are the chosen people (see Vain Imaginations and The Goodmen Letters);

6. Perverts the right way of the Lord, and causes us to hearken unto the precepts of men, put our trust in men, and to deny the power of God, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gifts of the spirit;

7. Encourages us to live the Gospel and have joy in our works rather than to proclaim the Gospel;

8. Grades sins, and causes us to understand that as long as we don't commit the really bad sins we are OK, or he tells us that whatever we do is not sin;

9. By the sleight of hand Satan tricks us into thinking we are on the straight and narrow path that leads to the Tree of Life, while we are actually in the large and spacious building;

10. Makes the following gospel principles: hard work, temple attendance, meeting attendance, living the law of tithing, being a good neighbor, listening to and watching general conference, being a faithful church member, living the Gospel, all the while causing us to take our eye off of the Lord's definition of His gospel.

Satan also uses other methods: he aspires, coerces, contends, flatters and accuses. He is known as "the accuser of our brethren" (Revelation 12:10). Anyone who aspires, coerces, contends, flatters and/or accuses, is following Satan's example.

Appearance and/or form over substance is very effective illusion. In Boston in 2007 a man stopped in a subway with his violin and began to play as if he was a street musician. He opened his violin case and played for about 45 minutes. A few people stopped, listened for a while and then dropped some money into the case. After he was finished playing, he counted about $30 from his efforts. Little did the people know, but that the man was the world's best and most famous violinist. His name was Joshua Bell. In fact just a few days before, he sold out the Boston Orchestra, where every ticket was in the hundreds of dollars. This story illustrates just how effective Satan can be by using appearance to diminish a person's value, or as the life coaches or success peddlers would say, your environment is so important that no matter who you are, without the proper environment you would not be appreciated. 

In our ward in Gilbert, AZ, a sister, an African American, the only member in her family, would bear her testimony each testimony meeting and she always would sing a song before speaking. I loved the discomfort that I could see among the proper members of the church. I heard some even ridiculed her. And yet she always bore witness to the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but because of how she was perceived her witness was discounted. We value appearance and even mistake it for being good. But as my friend Tim would say. It is not about us being good, but about us choosing good. Which means repenting or turning to Christ who is Good.

I love our ward in Metz, France because there are few suits or even white shirts. Sisters often wear pants. It is so refreshing to be away from the pressure to look the part, the unsaid coercion and pressure. It felt so good to wear a turtleneck sweater one Sunday.

Obituaries in Utah, and everywhere I guess, are a reflection of what we value or what we see in others. What do obituaries focus on? They appear to me to be pure flattery, one of Satan's tricks used to make us feel good. Achievements, hobbies, family, roles, and successes, obituaries certainly prove that we do not fulfill the measure of our creation. If you had to write the obituary for Alma, Mormon or Moroni, what would you write? If you could write your own obituary, what would you include or exclude? 

But by far his most effective illusion is the use of rhetoric. Hugh Nibley said that "The disease our world is suffering from is not something peculiar to a uniquely scientific and permissive age, it is the very same virus that has finished off all the other great societies of which we have record. The ancients call it rhetoric. What it amounts to is the acceptance for the sake of power and profits, of certain acknowledged standards of lying." 

Rhetoric creates an unreal world, or as Satan would call it, "the real world." That is its great power because it distracts us from God's world, which is the 'Real World.' 

Rhetoric is everywhere around us, in every system, every image, every advertisement, every movie, every television show, news or otherwise, every conversation, every church meeting, and every culture. As with a jet engine, the efficiency of rhetoric steadily increases as its surrounding element approximates more and more to a perfect vacuum. As it destroys the real world around it, the power of rhetoric becomes ever more invincible.

We see that some of our greatest businesses are built, not on secret formulas, but on the conversion of those trifles into symbols of youth, beauty, health, super-fun, family togetherness--the soft caress of a child, the flag unfurled--that is what they are selling. Rhetoric creates a world of lying, deception and make believe. Satan has so ingrained it into our world that it ruins everything, including its peoples' capacity to think. But we cannot let it alone because it pays too well, and even though it destroys everything else, there is nothing that can stop it. 

Except the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

The Lord calls rhetoric 'the mainspring of all corruption' which is upheld by the influence of Satan, and "which has so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity."

Rhetoric simplifies, shortens and spices. It flatters. It is intoxicating, and we become addicted to it.

"It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains and shackles, and the fetters of hell" (D&C 123:7-8). 

But the trick is, we don't even know we are in chains and shackles.

Will any people of God remain who do not fall prey to foolhardy economics, criminal politics and watered down religion, which is rhetoric? Never has it been more on display than in current American politics, fueled by the lying, the corruption, the thirst for power and influence, and the desire to destroy democracy. Just by being aware, we can see what damage has already been done by people falling into the traps set by the greatest deceiver! Nothing tells us better the direction a civilization is moving or how far it is along the way than the passions and appetites it feeds on. See The Stranglehold of Babylon

Another effective tool of Satan's is the use of labels. He can demolish the opposition with labels such as socialism, immigration, and atheism; and he can give his followers' worse crimes a religious glow with noble labels such as integrity, hard working, tough-minded, charitable. 

The ways of Babylon are always described with high purpose, solid virtue and impeccable respectability.

Why is Satan the Master Magician? Because he has no virtues. Nothing in his being is worthy of any praise from God. Contrast with Christ who describes Himself as the great I AM. I AM that I AM He says. His influence is not because of what He does, has done or will do, but who He is! Satan on the other hand, wants to be God and the only way he can imitate God is by the power God has given him on this earth. He encourages us to be like him and seek fame, glory and power.

With Satan's skills and resources, we would need some very powerful tools to keep us from being deceived. And Christ has made it easy for us if we hear what He says to us. 

1. He tells us to feast upon His words, to search them, hold fast and live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, and be armed with the Sword of Truth. Why? Because the Sword of Truth (His word) cuts through all of Satan's crap and makes it so we will not be deceived. 

2. Do not put your trust in men (any men). He tells us this to protect us from being deceived. Look to God and live.

3. Do not put your trust in your riches or in the arm of flesh, its power and weapons.

4. Quit conversing among yourselves and hear His voice.

5. If you will, please add in the comments what you would add to this list.

I Knew Duffer as a Dog

I knew Duffer as a dog,
She knew him as her pet.
She loved him because he was her pet'
I loved him because he was a dog.

I knew him as he was
Not what she thought he should be
But he learned as he was trained,
And he became a good pet.

He was rewarded for doing good
And punished for being bad,
But he could stay
And on command would lay.

But I knew that he was just a dog,
And I loved him.

Question:

Do we define each other by the roles that we play
And how well we play them?
Or do we define each other by
Who we are and whom we may become?

The difference between having "joy in our works" for a Season, and rejoicing at hearing the "Voice of Joy" is the difference between the "real world" and the "Real world."

Repentance: All But The Very Elect Will be Deceived Part 1